6 major differences between Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and Mary Shelley’s novel

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Guillermo del Toro’s take on Frankenstein closely follows Mary Shelley’s original novel, while also including some new characters and storylines.

I’m a huge Guillermo del Toro fan, and it’s awesome how much he loves Frankenstein – the book and all the different movie versions! You can really see that influence in his own films, especially his 2022 stop-motion Pinocchio. He clearly pulls a lot of inspiration from Mary Shelley’s story, and it’s really cool to see how he uses those elements in his work.

He’s now adapted the book into a large-scale Netflix film, featuring Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth, and Jacob Elordi playing the lead role.

In our review of Frankenstein, we noted that it’s not simply a re-telling of the original story, but a fresh take on the gothic horror classic. Guillermo del Toro has made significant changes to the plot, and we’ll detail the biggest and most interesting ones below. Be warned: SPOILERS follow…

1. A mother’s death

In the story, Victor Frankenstein’s mother dies from scarlet fever, and his resulting sadness fuels his obsession with overcoming death.

Okay, so in the movie, his mom actually dies giving birth to his brother, William. It’s a really important moment because it sets up the whole reason why he even *tries* to create life himself – his Creature. Basically, witnessing death during childbirth is what sparks the idea in his head to build his own ‘child’ to overcome it.

This creates a poignant irony: the Creature ultimately kills William, the child whose existence initially motivated his creation, completing a tragic cycle.

2. The wealthy benefactor

Henrich Harlander (Christoph Waltz) is a character created specifically for the film. He’s a rich arms dealer who supports Victor’s experiments by providing him with a lab and all the equipment he needs.

He makes a deal with Frankenstein, asking for something in return, but doesn’t reveal what it is until right before the Creature is brought to life. At that point, Victor discovers Henrich is ill with syphilis.

Harlander asks the scientist to transfer his brain into the experiment’s body, but when the scientist, Victor, declines, a fight breaks out. Ultimately, Henrich falls to his death.

3. Creature = Wolverine

The movie begins with sailors shooting at the Creature, but their bullets don’t seem to harm it, hinting that it’s an incredibly tough, possibly unkillable, monster.

Later in the movie, Victor notices something remarkable: when the Creature is injured, the wound heals almost instantly, revealing a Wolverine-like ability to self-heal.

This leaves the Creature feeling he’s trapped in a life that will never end, contributing to the sad conclusion of the story…

4. Freudian fun

Mia Goth plays both Victor’s mother and Elizabeth, his brother’s fiancé—and the woman he becomes attracted to. This casting choice introduces a psychologically complex layer to the story, hinting at Freudian themes.

However, these casting choices significantly change the story. In the original novel, Elizabeth is Victor’s fiancée and is killed by the Creature out of jealousy.

Throughout the film, Elizabeth develops a strong dislike for Victor and begins to feel sympathy for the creature. However, just as this dynamic is starting to unfold, Victor fires a shot intended for the creature, but tragically, it strikes and kills Elizabeth.

That story shift makes the Creature more victim, while further turning Victor into a monster.

5. Bad education

As a fan, I’ve always noticed a big difference between the book and the movie when it comes to Victor and his creature. In the film, we actually *see* a lot more of Victor raising his creation after he brings him to life. It’s really heartbreaking to watch because Victor gets so frustrated – the creature gets bigger and stronger, but his mind just doesn’t seem to develop the way Victor hoped. It’s a much more drawn-out, emotional struggle in the movie than in the book, I think.

Realizing he’d made a terrible error, Victor attempts to destroy the Creature, but the attempt fails, costing Victor his leg while the Creature survives.

Surprisingly, the Creature isn’t intellectually disabled. Both the book and the movie show him learning to speak and read by observing others being taught. In the book, he watches a family teaching a foreigner, while the movie depicts a family teaching their child. However, in both versions, a blind man steps in to provide the Creature with a proper education.

The Creature thrives when someone shows him kindness, patience, and truly listens – something Victor never offers, leading to tragic consequences.

6. Frankenstein ending explained

The ending of both novel and movie are quite similar, but equally carry a very different message.

Throughout the novel, Victor relentlessly pursues the Creature to the icy Arctic, determined to destroy him. However, Victor himself succumbs to exhaustion and the harsh conditions before he can finish the chase. As he nears death, Frankenstein realizes his mistakes, acknowledging that his overwhelming ambition, arrogance, and thirst for knowledge led to his ruin.

After Victor’s death, the Creature discovers him and regrets letting anger, violence, and a desire for revenge consume him, causing him even more suffering. He then travels onto the icy landscape, intending to build a funeral fire and end his own life.

In the film, the Creature and Victor have a heartfelt exchange right before the Creature dies. Victor takes his creation’s hand, affectionately calls him “son,” and urges him to keep living.

Victor dies as he does in the original story, and the Creature ends the tale with a heroic act, saving some sailors and their boat. However, because the Creature is immortal in this version, he can’t die. Instead, he walks out onto the ice, a single tear rolling down his cheek – perhaps for Victor, or perhaps realizing he’s destined to live forever alone, without a companion.

The movie ends on a really powerful note with a quote from Lord Byron. It just perfectly sums up everything – basically, even when things fall apart, life goes on, and there’s a bittersweet beauty in that. It really stuck with me!

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2025-10-17 17:50